"The Lion's Den"
The torches of the Ojora patrols flickered like restless spirits across Ayo's narrow streets. The rebels were outnumbered, outmatched… and almost out of time.
Inside a hidden chamber beneath a crumbling shrine, Wale finally stood before Yemi, Bayo, Ayomide, and Adeola—not as an enemy, but as a brother-in-arms.
"I've been fighting this war from within," Wale confessed, his face stoic. "But Moremi… she can never know what I've become. Not yet."
Adeola stepped forward. "She'll know you by what you do now."
A silence fell—heavy like ancestral drums before battle.
---
"When Ashes Remember Flame"
POV: Damilola
The air inside Durojaiye's estate was thick with bile and madness.
Damilola stood protectively in front of Moremi as Durojaiye lunged at them, wine dripping from his chin, lust and fury dancing in his eyes.
"I gave your father coin!" he spat. "You and your sister were mine!"
A scream echoed as he struck Damilola across the face.
Moremi moved to defend her, but chains held her back.
Durojaiye raised his blade, lips curling—
And then—bang—
The doors exploded open.
Yemi entered like a judgment from the gods, sword flashing. One by one, guards dropped.
From behind, timid Femi appeared—trembling, tear-streaked… but with purpose in his eyes.
Durojaiye turned to him with a sneer.
"You? The boy who couldn't even hold a sword?"
Femi raised a metal rod, teeth clenched—and slammed it into Durojaiye's skull.
The monster crumpled.
For a moment, silence.
Then Moremi whispered, eyes wide with shock:
"Femi…?"
"I won't lose her again," he muttered.
---
"The Blood We Share"
POV: Moremi
The group fled into the lower tunnels, where Wale awaited them.
As Moremi stepped into the torchlight, her eyes met his.
She gasped. "No… it can't be…"
Wale took a knee.
"Sọ̀bíẹ̀, ọmọ ayé mi. I am Wale. Your brother."
Moremi rushed forward and embraced him, trembling like a storm tree.
Tears. Laughter. Regret.
But the moment shattered as Wale pulled away.
"I'll hold them off. You must get the others out."
Moremi protested, but Wale smiled gently.
"Tell Mama… I never stopped looking."
---
"The Oracle's Shelter"
POV: Adeola
Elsewhere, Adeola and Bayo ducked into an alley, chased by soldiers.
They burst into a clay hut at the edge of the market.
Inside sat an old man with skin like ebony bark and eyes that shimmered like ancient glass.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, without looking up.
"We had no choice," Adeola breathed.
The old man studied Adeola. "I've seen that mark before… on the king who died at the hands of Ojora steel."
Bayo looked over, startled.
"What king?" Adeola asked.
The old man smiled cryptically.
"The one whose son disappeared beneath fire and smoke."
---
"Fire at the Gate"
POV: Tunde
Tunde stood on the palace wall, watching the city burn in sparks of betrayal.
His hands trembled—not from fear, but fury.
"They defiled my house," he growled. "They touched what is mine."
Soldiers gathered as drums sounded. He raised his sword, voice echoing:
"Seal every exit. Burn the streets if you must. Bring me their heads!"
---
Final Scene: The Ambush
As Moremi, Yemi, Femi, Damilola, and Ayomide dashed toward the city gates with stolen uniforms and bloodied weapons, a volley of arrows rained down.
They dove for cover.
Tunde emerged from the shadows, flanked by a dozen armored guards, his eyes fixed on Moremi.
"I gave you a chance to live," he hissed.
She stood, bloodied but unbowed.
"And I chose freedom."
Fade out.
---
[End of Episode 12 – "Reckonings"]
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> The Lost King © 2025 by (Idris Bilal Adavize).
This is an original work protected by copyright. No part of this story may be reproduced or used in any form without the author's written